American Indian educators, advocates and tribal leaders faced a daunting task Friday, as the Indian Education Summit convened in Helena. Their charge: to come up with solutions to address concerns in Indian education including low standardized test scores, rising dropout rates and federal compliance — and to launch an action plan to implement their ideas.

"This is a time of action," Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch said. "We must create opportunities for future generations of American Indian students.

Research compiled by the Montana Office of Public Instruction indicates that Native American children make up 11 percent of Montana's K-12 public school population, and almost 70 percent live on or near a reservation. Better than half of all Montana's American Indian children are eligible for free and reduced cost lunch — an indicator of poverty.

Nearly all — some 90 percent — of the schools and districts that educate a majority of Native American children have been identified for improvement, as defined by federal No Child Left Behind regulations.

While the future of American Indian Education may seem bleak, McCulloch said, it's also improving. Montana's Native American children in the fourth and eighth grades are the fastest improving group on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, administered annually. Some 14 percent of residents on the Ft. Belknap and Rocky Boy reservations reported attaining an associates degree, which exceeds the state average, McCullogh told the group.

"A good education offers the best opportunity for these children's future," she added.

Rep. Norma Bixby described a long history of Indian education in Montana that often resulted in disappointment.

"We've come a long way since I started in the mid 80s and we've seen changes, but not enough," Bixby said, encouraging summit participants to focus on the future.

"Now's the time to set a new direction, a new history and a new future for our children," she added.

Those in attendance started their morning with a deluge of research on Native American education presented by William Demmert, Jr. one of the nation's foremost researchers on Indian education and an advocate of Indian education on Capitol Hill. His work centered on early childhood education as well as the importance of teaching native languages in Indian schools.

"We have to do something from the very beginning," he said, adding that his research shows parent and community involvement can significantly influence long term academic success.

In response to audience questions regarding the federal No Child Left Behind Act, Demmert said the policy needs to be changed to accommodate the United State's native students. According to Demmert, the testing methods need to be culturally fair and recognize native language teachers in schools as "highly qualified." Both standardized test scores and highly qualified educators are benchmarks in the federal mandates.

The conference will continue today, with participants working in small groups and panel discussion.